[laughter] i would say that our political science students are just thrilled to have such a unique opportunity to learn from this accomplished historical scholar and celebrated to have. john's most recent book, "thomas jefferson: the art of power," rose to the coveted number one spot on "the new york times" bestseller list and was selected as one of the best books of the year by the times book review and the be washington post. and "the washington post." his best selling biography of andrew jackson, "american lion," earned him a pulitzer prize. as executive vice president of random house john, as you might expect, is involved in the creation and publication of fascinating books that top the most interesting and influential reading lists. his passion for learning, discovery, his exper or tease and his engagement in the literary world also benefit the university greatly by making it possible for us to bring exciting events to nashville like this talk based on the letters of arthur schlessinger jr. i am proud to have john as my partner in this year's lecture series. tonight he has invited stephen